Half-a-million strong

Nov. 6, 2013

Teaching high-school students. Running a library. Serving clients in a law firm. Implanting pacemakers in patients with faulty heart rhythms. Working at the Michigan Senate. Working at the U.S. Senate. Filming Spartans in Zambia. Documenting work in Korea. Helping communities grow food in Rwanda. Treating patients in Malawi. Tutoring other Spartans. Making art. Playing music. Being parents. Pitching in, taking charge, working hard, being smart, solving problems and making a difference.

Any day of the year, any minute of the day you can find Spartans doing things I listed above. And those are just the Spartans I know personally. There are countless other ways Michigan State alumni, students, staff and faculty are using their skills and training to make this world a better place.

Add up living MSU alumni, current students, staff and faculty and you’ve got a Spartan team of more than 500,000 people. That’s more than a half a million people out there in this world, making an impact. How cool is that?

You can find Spartans anywhere. And it always seems like they’re not just doing one thing.

Take Michael Dease, assistant professor of jazz instruction, for example. After completing his first year teaching, he spent his summer instructing 8-year-old beginners and veteran musicians in northern England, New Jersey and the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. Read his FACULTY VOICE: Attitude is Everything, to learn more about his philosophy.

Or look at global studies junior, Terence Gipson. In addition to being a student, Terence is a student representative and prospect moves management analyst for the MSU Alumni Association. On top of that, he took part in a spring break engagement trip that took him to work in an orphanage in Puebla, Mexico. Read his story and watch a video about him in his STUDENT VIEW: Bridging the Gap.

Those are just two examples of outstanding Spartans. But we know there are 500,000 more of you out there and we want to hear your stories. We want you to show us your worlds.

That’s why today we’re running an awesome project, MSU 360.24. We want all Spartans, wherever they are, to take video on their phones showing us their day. Then simply upload them to the website. We’ll use as many videos as we can to create a really awesome documentary about the day in a life of Spartans everywhere. Don’t miss out! Tape something today and you have until Nov. 21 to upload it. The more we get, the cooler the finished project will be.

Bottom line? Spartans are a pretty incredible group of people. We are literally changing lives and tackling the world’s most challenging problems. No matter where you go in this world, a Spartan has probably been there. I absolutely love being a part of Team Spartan. Go forth…make a difference. And don’t forget to film it.

Spartans Will.

Lisa MulcroneEditor, MSUToday

Photo of student collecting water samples in the Red Cedar River by Derrick L. Turner